Newcomb J.D. ’88 Honored with 2015-16 St. George Tucker Adjunct Professorship Award
On Thursday, Aug. 27, Mark Newcomb J.D. ’88 received the 2015-16 St. George Tucker Adjunct Professor of Law Award. Newcomb accepted the honor during a luncheon in the Great Hall of the Sir Christopher Wren Building to the applause of William & Mary faculty, staff, and friends.
Dean Davison M. Douglas presented Newcomb with the annual award, which recognizes an outstanding member of the Law School faculty for service on behalf of students and is selected by nomination from the Law School Community.
“Mark Newcomb is phenomenally good. He is a wonderful teacher: engaging, passionate, and well-informed,” Douglas said, quoting one of Newcomb’s former students. The award recognizes Newcomb’s commitment to helping his students learn the material, “a commitment that manifests itself not just inside the classroom, but outside the classroom,” his development of critical thinking skills in his students, and his engaging and personable nature.
Further student assessments agree, with commendations such as, “Mark Newcomb is one of the best professors I have had in law school.”
This year marks the 30th year since Newcomb started as a student at William & Mary Law School. After receiving his J.D., he worked with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He served in various staff and operational billets, including assignment as the principal legal advisor to Commander, Battle Force SEVENTH FLEET, where he focused upon Law of the Sea and Law of War issues, and on the International Law faculty of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School. He spent six years with CMA CGM (America) as Legal Counsel, Safety & Security Officer and was counsel with Davey & Brogan P.C., a maritime and admiralty firm in Norfolk, Va., for seven years.
Newcomb currently serves as counsel and vice president of claims, insurance and regulatory matters for ZIM American Shipping Services Company, LLC. He supervises all legal affairs, risk management, and regulatory programs related to ZIM’s marine and inland operations throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
As an adjunct professor at William & Mary Law School, he has taught classes focused on national security and terrorism and the law.
“I am tremendously honored,” Newcomb said of the St. George Tucker Award. “[Teaching] the young men and women who are going to be the backbone of the legal profession for the rest of their lives and careers is a tremendous opportunity.”
St. George Tucker (1752-1827), the second professor of law at William & Mary, succeeded George Wythe on the faculty and was a pioneer in legal education. He drafted a formal description of the requirements for a law degree at the College, which included an exacting schedule of qualifying examinations in subjects such as history and government. Tucker's course material was published in 1803 as the first American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries. For much of the early nineteenth century, this volume was considered the leading authority on American law. Tucker was also a distinguished judge, serving on both the state and federal benches for more than 30 years.
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